Theme: Clear
Hymn 15
Based on the Danish of Bernhard S. Ingemann
As gold by fire is tested,
Its purity shown forth,
So cleansing fires of Truth may prove
To man his native worth.
And as a mirror shows us
A likeness clear and bright,
So God forever sees His child
Revealed in radiant light.
'Twas thus the loving Master
Saw man's perfection shine,
Beheld God's child forever pure
In radiance all divine.
Readings from the Bible.
II Samuel 23:1‑4
Now these be the last words
of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high,
the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, The
Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel
spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of
God. And he shall be as the light of the
morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender
grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.
Job 33:3,4
My words shall be of the
uprightness of my heart: and my lips shall utter knowledge clearly. The Spirit of God hath made me, and the
breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
Isaiah 35:3‑10
#Strengthen ye the weak
hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say
to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will
come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save
you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be
opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and
the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and
streams in the desert. And the parched
ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the
habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and
rushes. And an highway shall be there,
and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not
pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall
not err therein. No lion shall be there,
nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but
the redeemed shall walk there: And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and
come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain
joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Matthew 7:1‑5,7‑14
Judge not, that ye be not
judged. For with what judgment ye judge,
ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you
again. And why beholdest thou the mote
that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own
eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy
brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in
thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first
cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast
out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
#Ask, and it shall be given
you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every
one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that
knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man
is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a
serpent? If ye then, being evil, know
how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father
which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that
men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the
prophets. #Enter ye in at the strait
gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction,
and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow
is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Mark 1:9‑11 it
it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came
from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water,
he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And
there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am
well pleased.
Mark 8:22‑25
#And he cometh to Bethsaida;
and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and
led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands
upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that he put his hands again upon his
eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.
Luke 6:30‑42
Give to every man that asketh
of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do
ye also to them likewise. For if ye love
them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love
them. And if ye do good to them which do
good to you, what thank have ye? for
sinners also do even the same. And if ye
lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also
lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing
again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the
Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also
is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not
be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be
forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and
shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the
same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. And he spake a parable unto them, Can the
blind lead the blind? shall they not
both fall into the ditch? The disciple
is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his
master. And why beholdest thou the mote
that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own
eye? Either how canst thou say to thy
brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou
thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast
out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to
pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.
Luke 11:9,10
And I say unto you, Ask, and
it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened
unto you. For every one that asketh
receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be
opened.
Romans 1:16‑20 I am (to ;)
I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for
it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew
first, and also to the Greek. For
therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is
written, The just shall live by faith.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that
which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto
them. For the invisible things of him
from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things
that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead;
Readings from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
205:7‑27
When will the error of believing that there
is life in matter, and that sin, sickness, and death are creations of God, be
unmasked? When will it be understood
that matter has neither intelligence, life, nor sensation, and that the
opposite belief is the prolific source of all suffering? God created all through Mind, and made all
perfect and eternal. Where then is the
necessity for recreation or procreation?
Befogged in error (the error of believing
that matter can be intelligent for good or evil), we can catch clear glimpses
of God only as the mists disperse, or as they melt into such thinness that we
perceive the divine image in some word or deed which indicates the true idea,‑‑the
supremacy and reality of good, the nothingness and unreality of evil.
When we realize that there is one Mind, the
divine law of loving our neighbor as ourselves is unfolded; whereas a belief in
many ruling minds hinders man's normal drift towards the one Mind, one God, and
leads human thought into opposite channels where selfishness reigns.
275:20‑30
Divine metaphysics, as revealed to spiritual
understanding, shows clearly that all is Mind, and that Mind is God,
omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, ‑‑that is, all power, all presence, all
Science. Hence all is in reality the
manifestation of Mind.
Our material human theories are destitute of
Science. The true understanding of God
is spiritual. It robs the grave of
victory. It destroys the false evidence
that misleads thought and points to other gods, or other so‑called powers, such
as matter, disease, sin, and death, superior or contrary to the one
Spirit.
316:12
Jesus represented Christ, the true idea of
God. Hence the warfare between this
spiritual idea and perfunctory religion, between spiritual clear‑sightedness
and the blindness of popular belief, which led to the conclusion that the
spiritual idea could be killed by crucifying the flesh. The Christ‑idea, or the Christ‑man, rose
higher to human view because of the crucifixion, and thus proved that Truth was
the master of death. Christ presents the
indestructible man, whom Spirit creates, constitutes, and governs. Christ illustrates that blending with God,
his divine Principle, which gives man dominion over all the earth.
358:9
Christian Science, understood, coincides with
the Scriptures, and sustains logically and demonstratively every point it
presents. Otherwise it would not be
Science, and could not present its proofs.
Christian Science is neither made up of contradictory aphorisms nor of
the inventions of those who scoff at God.
It presents the calm and clear verdict of Truth against error, uttered
and illustrated by the prophets, by Jesus, by his apostles, as is recorded
throughout the Scriptures.
388:12‑30
Admit the common hypothesis that food is the
nutriment of life, and there follows the necessity for another admission in the
opposite direction,‑‑that food has power to destroy Life, God, through a
deficiency or an excess, a quality or a quantity. This is a specimen of the ambiguous nature of
all material health‑theories. They are
self‑contradictory and self‑destructive, constituting a "kingdom divided
against itself," which is "brought to desolation." If food was prepared by Jesus for his
disciples, it cannot destroy life.
The fact is, food does not affect the
absolute Life of man, and this becomes self‑evident, when we learn that God is
our Life. Because sin and sickness are
not qualities of Soul, or Life, we have hope in immortality; but it would be
foolish to venture beyond our present understanding, foolish to stop eating
until we gain perfection and a clear comprehension of the living Spirit. In that perfect day of understanding, we
shall neither eat to live nor live to eat.
396:26
Keep distinctly in thought
that man is the offspring of God, not of man; that man is spiritual, not
material; that Soul is Spirit, outside of matter, never in it, never giving the
body life and sensation. It breaks the
dream of disease to understand that sickness is formed by the human mind, not
by matter nor by the divine Mind.
418:5‑25
Stick to the truth of being in
contradistinction to the error that life, substance, or intelligence can be in
matter. Plead with an honest conviction
of truth and a clear perception of the unchanging, unerring, and certain effect
of divine Science. Then, if your
fidelity is half equal to the truth of your plea, you will heal the sick.
It must be clear to you that sickness is no
more the reality of being than is sin.
This mortal dream of sickness, sin, and death should cease through
Christian Science. Then one disease
would be as readily destroyed as another.
Whatever the belief is, if arguments are used to destroy it, the belief
must be repudiated, and the negation must extend to the supposed disease and to
whatever decides its type and symptoms.
Truth is affirmative, and confers harmony. All metaphysical logic is inspired by this
simple rule of Truth, which governs all reality. By the truthful arguments you employ, and
especially by the spirit of Truth and Love which you entertain, you will heal
the sick.
459:3
Paul and John had a clear
apprehension that, as mortal man achieves no worldly honors except by
sacrifice, so he must gain heavenly riches by forsaking all worldliness. Then he will have nothing in common with the
worldling's affections, motives, and aims.
Judge not the future advancement of Christian Science by the steps
already taken, lest you yourself be condemned for failing to take the first
step.
495:2‑24
Truth casts out error now as
surely as it did nineteen centuries ago.
All of Truth is not understood; hence its healing power is not fully
demonstrated.
If sickness is true or the idea of Truth, you
cannot destroy sickness, and it would be absurd to try. Then classify sickness and error as our
Master did, when he spoke of the sick, "whom Satan hath bound," and
find a sovereign antidote for error in the life‑giving power of Truth acting on
human belief, a power which opens the prison doors to such as are bound, and
sets the captive free physically and morally.
When the illusion of sickness or sin tempts
you, cling steadfastly to God and His idea.
Allow nothing but His likeness to abide in your thought. Let neither fear nor doubt overshadow your
clear sense and calm trust, that the recognition of life harmonious‑‑as Life
eternally is‑‑can destroy any painful sense of, or belief in, that which Life
is not. Let Christian Science, instead
of corporeal sense, support your understanding of being, and this understanding
will supplant error with Truth, replace mortality with immortality, and silence
discord with harmony.
568:24
For victory over a single sin, we give thanks
and magnify the Lord of Hosts. What
shall we say of the mighty conquest over all sin? A louder song, sweeter than has ever before
reached high heaven, now rises clearer and nearer to the great heart of Christ;
for the accuser is not there, and Love sends forth her primal and everlasting
strain. Self‑abnegation, by which we lay
down all for Truth, or Christ, in our warfare against error, is a rule in
Christian Science. This rule clearly
interprets God as divine Principle,‑‑as Life, represented by the Father; as
Truth, represented by the Son; as Love, represented by the Mother. Every mortal at some period, here or
hereafter, must grapple with and overcome the mortal belief in a power opposed
to God.
Silent prayer followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s Prayer.
Hymn 29
Florence L. Heywood
Breaking through the clouds of darkness,
Black with error, doubt, and fear;
Lighting up each somber shadow,
With a radiance soft and clear;
Filling every heart with gladness,
That its holy power feels,
Comes the Christian Science gospel,
Sin it kills and grief it heals.
Christlike in its benedictions,
Godlike in its strength sublime;
Conquering every subtle error,
With a meekness all divine,
It has gone across the ocean,
It is known in every land,
And our sisters and our brothers
Are united in one band.
Sharing of experiences, testimonies and remarks by members of the congregation.
Hymn 136
Violet Hay
I love Thy way of freedom, Lord,
To serve Thee is my choice,
In Thy clear light of Truth I rise
And, listening for Thy voice,
I hear Thy promise old and new,
That bids all fear to cease:
My presence still shall go with thee
And I will give thee peace.
Though storm or discord cross my path
Thy power is still my stay,
Though human will and woe would check
My upward‑soaring way;
All unafraid I wait, the while
Thy angels bring release,
For still Thy presence is with me,
And Thou dost give me peace.
I climb, with joy, the heights of Mind,
To soar o'er time and space;
I yet shall know as I am known
And see Thee face to face.
Till time and space and fear are naught
My quest shall never cease,
Thy presence ever goes with me
And Thou dost give me peace.
